Jonathan Lear

Jonathan Lear is the John U. Nef Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago, affiliated with the Committee on Social Thought and the Department of Philosophy. He has been teaching since 1996 and is a trained psychoanalyst from the Western New England Institute for Psychoanalysis. His research spans philosophical conceptions of the human psyche, philosophy of psychoanalysis, Kierkegaard, and Ancient Philosophy.

• Education: PhD in Philosophy from Rockefeller University (1978), with prior studies at Cambridge University.

Research Interests focus on the structure of human subjectivity, therapeutic action in psychoanalysis, ethical implications of cultural devastation, and Freudian theory. His most recent work examines post-pandemic mental health and gratitude in ethical frameworks.

Scientific Awards include the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Distinguished Achievement Award and Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He directed the Neubauer Collegium for Culture and Society from 2014–2022.

Grants and Leadership: Served as Roman Family Director at the Neubauer Collegium. Authored numerous peer-reviewed articles on topics like myth in Plato’s Republic, confidentiality in therapy, and Freudian transience.